E-cigs given a health tick
Electronic cigarettes offer smoke without fire. ELECTRONIC cigarettes, the popular smokeless devices used by millions of people to quit smoking, will be classed as medicines in Britain under a new regulatory system announced.
The MHRA health products watchdog said their proposals would help reassure customers about the quality of e-cigarettes, used by about 1.3 million people in Britain.
The Government is backing plans for a European Union-wide law, which could come into effect by 2016 and would require e-cigarettes to have a medical licence, officials said.
Until then, the MHRA is encouraging manufacturers to apply for a licence, which would signal to customers that their products are safe and effective in the amount of nicotine they dispense.
E-cigarettes contain a liquid, usually made up of propylene glycol, nicotine and flavourings, which is heated up and delivered as a gas to the lungs with each draw.
The user exhales vapour, but not smoke, a practice called ‘‘vaping.’’